Tray handler



May 13, 1924.

W. E. HALL TRAY HANDLER Filsd M y 11.

1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 (m IN v ENTER,

May 13, 1924. ,493 531 I 55.: HALL It I WWQ PR.

Filed May 11. 1923 2 sheetsfifiee t 2 IN v EN 11:1

IEY MC X ATTU EY Patented May 13, 1924.

A ENT Mme-- WILLIAM E. HALL, or MONROE, MICHIGAR'AVSSIGNOR r FRED M. LQNGNECKER, or

DELTA, .onIo.

TRAY HANDLER.

Application filed May 11,

T 0 a whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, 111mm E. HALL, a

citizen of the United States of America, 18-3 siding at Monroe, Monroe County, Michigan, have invented new and useful Tray Handlers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to grouping articles for packing or other systematic or uniform arrangement thereof.

This invention has utility when incorporated in a conveyor and a charging apparatus or transfer device for gathering the articlcs and crowding such into position to be handled by the conveyor.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an embodiment of the invention in connection with a machine for forming food trays of the socalled butter dish type, parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the packing or tray nesting attachment of this disclosure, parts being broken away;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary View in side elevation of the grab arms of the transfer device as delivering a tray in nesting position;

Fig. 1 is a detail view of one of the grabs or tray engaging portions of the transfer devices parts being broken away; and

Fig. 5'is an elevation of the grab arms'and their mounting, looking theretoward from the conveyor.

Tray forming machine 1 has receiving table 2 upon which endless strip material, as paper or fiber board may be cut into tray blanks at blanking head 3, and then be passed to the folding device, where as plunger 4 moves up into the head 5, the tray may be formed, and wire 6 as fed thereto, effect stapling of the tray ends by the medium of staplers clinching staples 7 into ends 8 of trays having sloping sides 9 and bottoms 10.

bhaft 11 as rotatable to reciprocate the plunger 4, is provided with a slotted. crank arm 12, in which may be adjusted Wristpin 13, having forwardly extending therefrom link 14- to lower free end of arm 15 fixed with rock shaft 16 carried by a pair of brackets 17 forwardly extending'from and mounted on the machine 1.

Intermediate the pair .of brackets 17, set screws 18 (Fig. 5) anchor short arms 19 on this shaft 16. To each of these arms 19 is fixed by bolts 20, upwardly directed rear- 1923; senain 638,399.

wardly extending major arm portions 21. Carried by the free end of one arm 21 is a grab member 22 opposing a similar grab member carried by the other arm. These sheet metalgrab members 22 are rights and lefts. Through slots 23 in each grab'member 22, bolts 24 coact for adjustably mounting the members 22 upon the arms 21.

These grab members. 22 are swung toward themaohine l, and just before the plunger 1 with a tray thereon reaches the end of its downward stroke, the pair of members 22 swing slightly upward and forward tohave fingers25 commence tilting of the tray in holding such tray from further descent with the plunger 41. Inasmuch as the operation hereunder may be one hundred fifty or more trays per minute, there is required rapid movement in getting the trays away from the plunger 1. Furthermore, as, these artic'les are vessels, quick pull thereof introduces the factor of air resistance to operation as' well as tendency forthe frail bottom upward trays to be distorted by quick strains thereon." To reduce the time interval, accordingly, the descent of the plunger 4 with the tray thereon as a capyhassuch tray lifted or retarded in its descent, first at the rear edge by the fingers 25. The arms21 at once commence travel forward at a rate to have the tray clear of the plunger during its ascent for the forming of the succeeding tray. As this swing begins, fingers 26 coact in holding the tray ends with the fingers 25. The transfer device in effecting the rapid pull away movement of the tray with its bottom against the direction of travel, to an ex-' tent conforms the tray in a manner to reduce additionally the air resistance, for the pull of the fingers 25, 26, has a tendency to render the normally flat bottom '10 convex and the tapering sides 9 are more steep. In other words, the .tray maybe .a little elongated and narrowed. Itis held fromshift ing off the grab members 22, by fingers 27 This swinging rapidly of the narrowed tray, besides reducing the air resistance has further utility. By legs 28, a channel 29 having an open topis disposed to extend away from the machine 1 in line with the direction of swinging of the arms 21 away from the machine 1. Near theend of this channel 29 toward the machine 1 the chan-. nel 29 has a cross-over bracket 30. with bolts 31 thereonengaging in slots 32 for adjust- Lil ably mountingauxiliary holding plate 33. This holding plate 33 has its end toward the machine 1, dipped downward, and by means of bolts 34 mounts thereunder guiding tongue 35. This tongue 35 in its extent toward the machine 1 is slightly yielda-ble and has a slight downward offset 36 as a ledge or catch opposing yieldable tongue or extension 37 from the channel 29. q

As the pair of grab members 22, swing a tray to have the top of the tray side which is below in this shifting ride on the tongue 37 with the tray bottom to be nested in the preceding tray, and even pull against such nested group 38 of the trays, the after upper tray side edge slides under the free end of the. tongue 35, with possibly slight contact therewith as riding past the ledge 36. At once the grab members 22 start their recover stroke, or swinging back toward the machine 1, the strain tending to distort the tray is gone, the tray as thrust into the tray group 38, as reinforced thereby, tends to assume the true form therefor with flat bottom and tapered sides.

slight resiliency or spring in the nested group 38, tending to cause the last released tray to start back toward the machine 1 as the arms 2-1 swing toward the machine 1. The trays are not free for such release, as the ledge 36 is in position to hold the upper tray side edge. The withdrawl of the grab members 22 is so timed as to the plunger 4 that these members 22 may be at the limit of their downward swing and below the plunger 4 to start their recover just before the plunger 4 is to the bottom of its down stroke.v The grab members 22 accordingly act in swinging the next tray up into the nested group 38 for symmetrically arranging the formed containers and moving them away from the machine 1.

The grab members 22 in their quick pulling movement of a formed tray from the plunger 4, serv as automatic inspection means for rejecting defective. trays. The defects in trays are largely due to wire feed. as the staplers becoming exhausted thus fail to staple. However any defect. of the tray. whether due to non-stapling, defective stapling as to staple being in improper position or not holding, but also defect in the stock of. the tray whereby it is not of sufficient longitudinal rigidity in its channel or rounded form as distorted in the quick grab action. automatically rejects such tray. As the grab members move soquickly, the air resistance to which the tray is subjected is great enough to cause defective tray failure and such tray falls, or rather is only partially thrown and never gets to the nested group 38. This simple expedient in the longe range of rapid shifting of this transfer device, in thus providing amechanical inspection, is a very material saving There in labor cost in examining trays before packing. The nested trays accordingly may be progressed directly into cartons, or in nested groups be transferred into cartons or other containers. The uniform pressure with which each successive tray is forced into nesting position with its predecessor, not only provides a regular external form for the group 38, but gives such group uniform stability by the tray mutual reinforcement, so that even frail fiberboard containers as snugly packed with the trays have a shipping rigidity for withstanding freight handling.

The top holding member or tongue for holding the tray group 38 with the trays on their sides and nested in the channel 29, has an extension away from the machine 1. This extension of the tongue 35 has adjusting bolt 39 thereon extending through the tongue or upper holding plate 33. This bolt 39 in its adjustment as to the plate 33, serves for positively determining the packing action of free end 40 of the tongue 35 remote from the machine 1. As the trays are fed one by one under this tongue 35 and moved a nest or group 38, the adjustment of the free end 40 tends to work the trays as yielda-bly nested into a positive registering relation.

As the nest 38 in practice is built up for a considerable length, even to ten or twelve feet, there may be accumulation of considerable resistance to the movement of the nested group 38 after passing the congested throat region of the channel 29 opposite the top packing tongue end 40. To relieve too great a strain on the trays from such source, a conveyor bottom is provided for a section of the channel 29.

Mounted on the shaft 16 by set screw 41 (Fig. 5) is collar 42 having arm 43 effective to transmit rocking of the shaft 16 for reciprocating link 44 (Fig. 1) extending away from the machine 1, and upwardly to engage arm 45 depending from shaft 46 mounted in bearings 47 adjacent the underside of the channel 29. Leaf spring 48 on the arm 45, tends to hold yieldably pawl 49 against ratchet wheel 50 fast on the shaft 46. Accordingly as the shaft 16 is rocked, the arm 45, loose on the shaft 46, is also rocked and the shaft 46 is given a step by step rotation or intermittent drive. Fast on the shaft- 46 is pulley 51 about which extends conveyor belt 52, to follower pulley 53, also carried by the channel '29. This conveyor belt 52 is thus given a. slow speed movement on the lower side of the channel 29, to carry group 38 along in such channel 29, at such a rate that the group is not loosened up, but still at a rate that avoids any tearing action in forcing the successive trays past the ledge 36.

In operation it is seen that the machine 1 has a capacity for turning out trays in quantity. The transfer device, in removing trays from the tray folding plunger, performs this action in synchronism with the machine, and in a manner to effect auto matic culling outof defective trays. The good trays are neatly and compactly nested progressively. The good trays are lifted from the plunger 4, shifted and simultaneously concaved for giving longitudinal rigidity with a minimum of wind resistance, and each shoved into nesting relation with its predecessor. It is then released,, and caused to assume its normal form by the previous tray with which it is nested, while the ledge 36 holds the group 38.. SimuL ta-neously progress of the group is brought about in the channel 29 by the conveyor 52.

hat is claimed and it is desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A tray manufacturing machine including a former on which the tray is supported bottom side up, a grab having tray tilting and engaging means, a way provided with a catch, and actuating means for shifting a grab engaged tray directly from said bottom up position on the former to an edge up position upon the tray to be held by the catch.

2. A tray manufacturing machine including a tray support for a tray with its bottom up, a grab having fingers disposed for tilting a tray off said support, and a way havin a catch past which the grab is swingable to allow the catch to be operative in holding the tray in an edge up position in the way as the grab recedes.

3. A tray manufacturing machine includ ing adownwardly reciprocable tray supporting plunger for a tray with its peripheral edges approximating a horizontal plane, a grab, and actuating connections for the grab in synchronism with the plunger timing for lifting the tray off the plunger just before the plunger reachesits downward limit of travel.

4. A tray manufacturing machine including a downwardly reciprocable tray supporting plunger, a rockable grab, connections from the machine for operating the grab to remove a tray from the plunger just before the plunger reaches its down ward limit of travel,-and a tray nesting guide to which the grab removed tray is directly delivered by the grab.

5. A packer for nesting trays embodying a grab having hook means for opposite tray ends and intermediate stop means for a tray side, a drive for moving the grab to swing the tray with the tray bottom forward, and the stop means thereover, and a way for receiving the tray.

6. A packer for nesting trays embodying a grab having hook means for opposite ends of a tray, and intermediate stop means for a tray side, a drive for moving the grab to swing the tray with the traybottom forward and the stop means thereover, and a way provided with means coacting to effect nesting holding of the successive trays when released thereto by the grab.

7. A transfer device for trays embodying a. grab having tray engaging hook means and intermediate stops for tray edges, and a drive for shifting the grab for moving the grab engaged'tray at a rate to'hold the tray edge against the stop to efiect automatic retention of a properly formed tray due to its stable assembly form, but effecting culling of'defective or less stabletrays.

8. A transfer device for trays embodying a swingable grab having a stop at its free end and tray engaging hooks adjacent said stop, a receiver for trays, and a drive for the grab moving the grab to dispose the tray supporting means into position where a tray would tend to topple therefrom away from said stop, said drive being normally at a rate to cause, the hook engaged tray to be shifted toward said stop.

9. A device for nesting trays embodying a grab, a receiver having a bottom and side portions, a tongue opposing the bottom por tion and terminally oifset toward the bottom to provide a catch, and a drive for shifting the grab to deliver a tray to the receiver'to be held by the catch.

10. A device for nesting trays embodying a transfer effecting member, a receiver for holding pre-nested trays, a catch adjacent the receiver throat including an overhang.

ing tongue having an offset, and adjusting means for the tongue remote from said off set, and a-drive for the member to deliver a tray into nesting position with the precedingtray of the pre-nested trays, and in recover travel leave such last tray to be held by the catch.

11. A device for nesting trays embodying a grab, a receiver for holding pre-nested trays, a catch adjacent the entrance to the receiver, there being a plate extending from said catch and along said receiver for guiding the pre-nested trays, and a drive for operating the grab to move a tray into. nesting relation with its predecessor in the pre-nested trays, there to. release such delivered tray to be engaged by the catch as the nested trays expand theretoward away from the packing means.

12. A device for nesting trays embodying a grab, a receiver including a conveyor for holding pre-nested trays, adjustable compacting means for the receiver held trays, and a drive for the grab effecting delivery of successive trays into nesting relation by thrusting toward said conveyor.

13. A tray manufacturing machine embodying a tray supporting member, a transfer device embodying means for engaging the tray as supported on said member, a receiver for articles from the. machine, said receiver including aconveyor to which the tray engaging means of the transfer device is effective to make delivery and synchronous driving connections from the machine for the conveyor and device.

14. A tray manufacturing machine, a transfer device movable to provide no bot tom sunport for a tray during a portion of the transi er device transfer effecting travel, a receiver spaced from the machine, and a drive for effecting throw action of the trans- 'fer device for removing articles from the machine, Which throw action is effective for culling defective articles by failing to deliver such to said receiver due to insufficient support by the device.

15. A packer for nesting trays embodying a rockabie tray-end engager, a Way, there being a throat for said Way, a conveyor leading from said throat, and a drive for thrusting engager held trays into said throat for shifting said trays through the throat upon the conveyor, said throat including an adjustable side.

16. A packer for nesting trays embodying a rockable tray-end engager, a Way having a throat, a conveyor leading 'from said throat, and a drive for operating the err-- gager to thrust trays into said throat and therethrough to said conveyor, said drive having connections for operating said conveyor;

17. A packer for nesting trays embodying a rockable tray engager, a Way having a throat, a belt conveyor leading from said throat, and an intermittent drive from said rockable 'engager for actuating said conveyor.

In Witness whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM E. HALL. 

